Through the Engineering-Medicine Partnership and with partners across disciplines, between institutions, and around the world, the Purdue College of Engineering and the Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM) conduct groundbreaking research and provide innovative solutions to the world's most challenging healthcare needs.
The IUSM-led Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH) consortium is our main vehicle serving these collaborative global projects. AMPATH is a partnership between Indiana University School of Medicine, Moi University College of Health Sciences, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, several U.S. universities - including the Purdue College of Engineering, and the Kenyan Government to build holistic, sustainable health in Kenya and around the world.
Exemplar global health projects include:
Cellphone-based Detection of HIV Drug Resistance: The team from the Purdue College of Engineering, Brown University, and AMPATH is developing a cellphone-based detection device for HIV drug resistance. A point-of-care tool that enables rapid detection of HIV drug resistance mutations is of pressing need to meet the increasing healthcare demand in developing countries. Collaborators include Julie Liu, associate professor of biomedical and chemical engineering and Chongli Yuan, associate professor of chemical engineering at the Purdue College of Engineering and Adrian Gardner, assistant professor of clinical medicine at IUSM.
Spectrometerless Smartphone Anemia Diagnosis: The team from the Purdue College of Engineering and Moi University Teaching and Referral Hospital in Kenya is developing a smartphone based app for noninvasive detection of hemoglobin levels in the blood, which could be used in low-resource area, such as Kenya, where anemia is a major public health problem. Collaborators include Young Kim, associate professor of biomedical engineering in the Purdue College of Engineering and Munirul Haque, a research scientist at the Regenstrief Center for Healthcare Engineering.
Paper-based nucleic acid detection platform: A team from the Purdue College of Engineering, AMPATH, and Moi University College of Health Sciences is developing a low-cost diagnostic device for point-of-care detection of the most common sepsis pathogens. Point-of-care diagnosis of the most common sepsis pathogens has the potential to greatly improve neonatal sepsis management and reduce infant mortality in low and middle income countries. Collaborators include Jacqueline Linnes, assistant professor of biomedical engineering and Elizabeth Phillips, a graduate student, both in Purdue's College of Engineering.
Esophageal Stent: A team from Purdue University College of Engineering, Indiana University School of Medicine, and Moi University Teaching and Referral Hospital in Kenya is working on a low-cost esophageal stent that can be manufactured sustainably in Kenya, thus relieving suffering for many Kenyans from devastating esophageal cancer. Collaborators include Andrew Brightman, associate professor of engineering practice and assistant head of biomedical engineering at the Purdue College of Engineering and Lester Smith, assistant professor of radiology and imaging sciences and Thomas Carr, assistant professor of clinical medicine, from the IUSM.
Purdue and Indiana University collaborate in USAID LASER PULSE consortium: Indiana University is a supporting partner in the $70-million, Purdue-led Partners for University Led Solutions Engine (PULSE), a USAID Long-Term Assistance and Services for Research (LASER) consortium to address global poverty challenges
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